Names of living relatives
The names of living relatives can usually be found on any of the documents listed below. If you have the minimum information required to find one of these documents, select the name of that document. The items in the list are ordered from most to least important. If you do not have the minimum information required, read the paragraph below this list.
Ensure that you have asked all of your immediate relatives, such as parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles about any living relatives -- perhaps distant cousins that the family hasn't seen for quite some time. They may also recall the names of relatives that they visited when they were younger and the name of the town where those relatives lived. This information would give you a starting place.
If you have living relatives who, unbeknownst to you, are doing genealogy research and have submitted files to the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can get their names through the Ancestral File on the FamilySearch computer. All you need to do is look up your common ancestors in the Ancestral File.
Make sure to check photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, and family Bibles at home. Look particularly close at pictures of large family gatherings. See the topic Finding information at home for more information.
Finding living relatives with family histories and genealogies
Family histories and genealogies are books about a particular family. You will only find the names of living relatives in the more recently printed family histories and genealogies. You may be able to find one about your family in a library. Remember, though, just because a book contains information about a family that has the same surname as your family, it doesn't mean that the information in that book is about your family. In order to make a connection between your ancestors and the people mentioned in a family history or genealogy, you must start with the name of an individual that you know is one of your ancestors and then find that individual in a family history. In addition, to make sure that the information you're adding to your family tree is factual, you should try to verify the information that you find in family histories and genealogies.
To find a family history or genealogy, you need to spend some time at a few libraries. Probably the best libraries in which to search are genealogy and public libraries in the area where your ancestors lived. In addition, you may want to check in larger libraries, such as state or university libraries in the area where your ancestors lived. If you are unable to go to those libraries in person, find out if they are part of an interlibrary loan system.
The Library of Congress and the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints both have extensive collections of published family histories. You can check the Family History Library catalog through your local Family History Center, and the Library of Congress staff will perform searches for books about a particular surname. Neither the Family History Library nor the Library of Congress lends bound books through the mail. However, many Family History Library books are on microfilm, and you can borrow those. Otherwise, you need to locate the book elsewhere or make a visit to the library. For information about other libraries with a national focus, see the topic Libraries with a national focus, including LDS.
When looking for pedigrees or genealogies, many people use computerized pedigree or genealogy indexes to help them find the pedigree or genealogy that they need. Some libraries have computerized pedigree or genealogy indexes and you can also search online for family histories and genealogies on Ancestry.
There are two other places to check for family histories and genealogies. Try genealogy lending libraries -- these are companies that have book catalogs and will lend books through the mail for a fee. The addresses for three such libraries are listed below. If you have a modem, you can also search selected library catalogs through the Internet. For example, part of the Library of Congress catalog is accessible via modem.
Genealogy Lending Libraries
American Genealogy Lending Library
P.O. Box 329
Bountiful, UT 84011-0329
Telephone: (801) 298-5358
National Genealogy Society
4527 17th Street North
Arlington, VA 22207-2399
Telephone: (703) 525-0050
New England Historical and Genealogical Society
101 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: (617) 536-5740
Finding the minimum information for family histories and genealogies
To find the names of living relatives in a family history or genealogy, you must at least know the full name of your ancestor, and the approximate area (state or county) in which the family may have lived.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items: or
Finding living relatives with probate records
Probate records are records disposing of a deceased individual's property and may include an individual's last will and testament if one was made. Probate records often include the names of living relatives and their relationship to the deceased. You can usually find probate records in the county where the person lived at the time of their death. Of course, unless the deceased had young children, the individual cannot have died too many decades ago, or else the individuals named in the will will no longer be living.
To get a copy of an individual's probate packet or probate estate papers, contact the county clerk, town clerk, or probate clerk where the individual lived at the time of death. For county courthouse phone numbers and addresses, see our Resources by county . The Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a large collection of probate records on microfilm, both from the United States and from foreign countries.
For more information about court records, see the topic Court records.
Finding the minimum information for probate records
Probate records are records disposing of a deceased individual's property and may include an individual's last will and testament if one was made. To find the names of living relatives in probate records, you must at least know the individual's full name at time of death, the approximate date of the death, and the county or town in which the individual lived at the time of death.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Probate record indexes and abstracts have been created in many counties. These indexes can provide you with the information you need to access the record, even if you don't have the minimum information required to find the original records. Check with libraries and genealogy societies in the area -- they may know if any indexes exist for the records that you need.
Finding the names of living relatives with newspapers
An obituary often lists the names of the surviving relatives. Again, unless the deceased had young children, the obituary cannot be too many decades old, or the survivors will no longer be living.
The directories listed below will help you find the current owners of old newspapers from the time and place when the obituary was published. If the individual spoke a foreign language, check to see if there was a newspaper in that language, too. Once you have located the current owners, you can request to search the appropriate copies. The current owners should be able to direct you in your search.
- Ayer Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals, available at most community libraries.
- Winifred Gregory's American Newspaper, available at community and genealogical libraries
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) microfiche. The OCLC has a database of the U.S. Newspaper Program National Union List. You can access the OCLC at most university libraries and some community libraries.
Finding the minimum information for newspapers
An obituary often lists the names of the surviving relatives. Again, unless the deceased had young children, the obituary cannot be too many decades old, or the survivors will no longer be living.
To find the names of living relatives in an obituary, you must at least know the approximate date of death, the full name of the deceased, and the state and city or town where the death took place (or where the obituary was likely to have been published). If you do not have the minimum information to access a newspaper article, you can either:
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items,
Finding the names of living relatives with vital records
An individual's death certificate is a good place to look for the living relatives because it usually lists the informant. Death certificates are available from either the county or the state where the death took place, depending on the year of the death.
To get the address where you must write to obtain vital records, see the topic Resources by state.
Finding the minimum amount of information for vital records
An individual's death certificate is a good place to look for the living relatives because it usually lists the informant. Death certificates are available from either the county or the state where the death took place, depending on the year of the death.
To find the names of living relatives on a death certificate, you must at least know the individual's full name at time of death, the approximate year of the death, and the state or county of the death, depending on when the event took place. Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items,
Even if you don't have the minimum information required to find the original records, you're not completely out of luck. Indexes to vital records, including death records, have been made for some states and counties. These indexes provide you with the information you need to access the original record. Check with libraries and genealogy societies in the area -- they may know if any indexes exist for the records that you need.